New Cop In Town
by CsiNyLivesOnForever
Summary: My first Fan fiction so please be nice! T rating is for minor swearing (one so far). Set in early S3, feature Mac/Stella and Danny/Lindsay. A serial killer is on the loose and a shooting in the lab shocks everyone, but not half as much as the new team member does...
1. Chapter 1

New Cop In Town

"You check up on our witness?" Mac asked as he strode towards Don who was waiting for him outside the main entrance to the crime lab.

"Yeah, she was no help whatsoever. You want me to bring her in?"

Mac thought for a moment before replying. "Not yet. Wait until..." Mac stopped talking as he noticed a professional-looking woman and a man in a suit behind her. He then noticed the ear-piece the man was wearing and the guns they both carried. Mac walked over. "Can I help you?"

"Mac Taylor" The woman had straight, black hair cut in a close cropped style.

"Who's asking?" Don immediately answered, looking at the stranger in distrust.

"I wasn't asking, I was merely commenting. A _proper _officer would have noticed. If you must know, I am the head of the Secret Service and you will call me by my agent number, 0001" Don raised his eyebrows and glanced at Mac and mimicked her. She held up a secret service badge. "I'm here about Agent James. Her mission has … overrun and she is currently unavailable."

Don looked at Mac. "You're hiring someone else for the lab?"

Mac ignored Don's question. "You came all the way here to tell me that my newest employee may be a little later than expected? That's all?"

"Of course not," she purred taking a step closer to Mac. The well-built, tall, black man with a gun on his hip immediately stepped behind her. Mirroring his actions, Don took a step closer to Mac. _Two can play at that game, buddy. _

The screech of tyres being roughly misused made Mac and Don their eyes flicking around for the source of the noise, hands on their guns. The Agent and her bodyguard seemed unbothered. A black Mercedes with tinted windows swung round the corner and sped after a battered, red truck. It gained steadily until it was directly next to the truck and the passenger side door opened. A slender blonde woman leapt from one car to another. Like the agent, she was dressed in all black and wearing an ear-piece. She kicked the wind-shield, shattering the glass and sending the car veering before stopping.

"Here she is now. Let us go and meet with her." The woman broke the silence.

"This is who you hired?" Don turned to stare at Mac in astonishment.

"I guess so." Mac didn't let his voice betray his emotions as much as Don and remained calm.

A middle-aged man and a terrified woman with a child around her waist pulled themselves from the truck and tried to run. The blonde woman, Agent James, 0001 had called her, was watching them. She shot at the ground before their feet, sending them back to her.

The woman began to beg. "Please, please, my son, my son ..." she sobbed. Emily's face was a unreadable mask.

"Well done Agent" The head of the Secret Service voice didn't differ.

"Do you want to or shall I?" All Mac could see was the back of the blonde woman's head and her jaw moving up and down.

Don couldn't believe his ears. He didn't understand how such a terrible job could allow 'Emily' to have a voice as beautiful as that. _It's like a summer breeze. _He thought. _Or the ocean, gently caressing the sand, or… _

"Don!" Mac's voice jerked him out of his stupor. They continued to watch.

"You." 0001 spoke once more. "Don't leave any mess behind. I want to go home. Send them back to the HQ, you can do it there." Emily nodded, then drew rope from her belt and began winding it round the family.

"Please. Please. Let my child and wife go free. They did nothing. Please. I didn't mean to send the documents, I swear." the man begged. Emily's mask crumpled. _No more, s_he thought. _This is why I quit, after all. _

The scary woman noticed her hesitation. "Get on with it" Her voice was harsher.

Then, very quietly, Emily replied. "No."

The only word to describe 0001's face was surprise. "What did you say?" Her voice was even colder now and she had drawn her gun. "I'm tired of cleaning up your mess."

Emily put her gun away. "These are innocent people." Scary woman became nightmare woman. She stepped closer to Emily and hissed something in her ear. Don and Mac didn't hear, but whatever it was, it made Emily's face turn pale.

Emily nodded. "You won't be able to see this." She said quietly. She was speaking to them now, and Don couldn't believe her eyes. They were dark brown, impossibly dark, like chocolate. They were odd too, with flecks of gold near the pupil that caught the light. But there was darkness in them, like she had seen and done some bad things and the demons were still haunting her.

Don and Mac turned as they heard Emily continue to bind to family. She then told the black man to "take them back to 'you know where' and get 8156 to deal with them"

"I guess I'm your new employee. If you still want me?" She spoke once more and her voice overwhelmed Don as much as it had before. He stared at her. He'd never met anyone like her. Mac saw this and smiled slightly; Don caught it and rolled his eyes. _Come on, _He told himself, _it's not like I like her or anything, it's just insane that she had to do that. That's ALL. _

The scary woman was speaking again, "And you'll need to get rid of your belongings as soon as you can because, obviously, someone will be living there." She finished and began to leave. "I hope you know what you're walking away from". None of them knew exactly who she was talking to. She finished by tossing Emily a black duffel bag.

"I think I know all too well" Emily muttered.

"Let's go inside," Mac commanded.

0001 spoke again, pointing at her bodyguard. "You get it done now" She motioned behind them, where the bodies lay. He nodded, then took out a phone and began talking. Mac headed in, with Don and Emily close behind.


	2. Chapter 2

The team looked down, but their heads snapped up as they heard a laugh. Emily was standing in front of the three men, she had flung herself behind the wall and saved herself. Mac could see bullet holes in the wall next to her. The men looked bemused. Then, it turned to rage. All three charged. Emily ran across the. She drew her new gun and fired three shots, at the guns. All but one hit. Emily was slammed to the wall, gun to her head, but she had turned it before they could shoot. Ugly Number One picked her up and threw her into the wall. Blood began to drip from her head.

"Now, stay down or I start to shoot these people," Ugly Number One growled. The two behind him snickered and aimed their guns towards the team. She laughed.

"What makes you think I care?" she said as she looked right into his eyes. Take the bait, she thought desperately.

"Fine." Ugly Number One raised his gun and fired at Danny. Danny grabbed his left shoulder in agony and let the bullets tumble from his fingers.

A new voice was heard. "I got it! I got it boss, I got the file!" It was young and clearly desperate to please.

"Let's go!" The one in charge yelled.

"W-what about…Her?" The scared boy asked, shaking from the beat down.

"JUST GO!"

Emily crawled over to Danny, praying he would be okay. She could see the river of blood that was slowly making its way down his arm. She didn't even his second name and she had gotten him shot. His hands were pressed against the wound but it wasn't enough, so she slowly unbuttoned her blouse and pulled it off. Danny's eyes widened. Emily tore the blouse into strips and bandaged up Danny's shoulder. "Are you okay?" Her eyes were wide with the fear of his death.

"Fine. Thank you" Danny smiled. Emily raised an eyebrow, and then shivered involuntarily. Weak. She chided herself. Don slipped off his jacket and tapped her on the shoulder. No one but Mac noticed her flinch. Don handed her the jacket.

"Thanks" She smiled properly this time. Don couldn't believe the difference from the woman from a few hours earlier and the one smiling now. Guess split personality doesn't begin to cover it, he thought to himself.

The lab clear up had just begun, there were too many body bags being wheeled away. Mac sighed at the state of his lab.

"Who was that? The woman back there?" Five minutes in and she was already being pressed with questions about her past. This was why Emily hated meeting new people; they always had questions. She sighed.

"No one. Just an old…..employer" She took care choosing her words. She knew these were smart people and she didn't want them to start raising events she'd gotten so good at hiding.

"What did you do?" Don continued to interrogate her. The lift had broken which meant a long walk up to the office, he thought he could find out as much as he could. Emily thought for a moment. _Lie? The whole truth? Part of the truth? _

"I…We…" She was lost. Don looked at her expectantly, like a dog waiting to be fed. "I…" She tried once more. _Screw it, s_he thought. "I killed people."

Don looked at her. His crystal eyes seemed to pierce her soul. They widened in shock when he realised she wasn't joking. "Like back there? That's what you were meant to do?" He was almost whispering.

"Yeah. Except I normally don't so it in front of my boss or two cops. I never found it easy" she admitted.

"How can that be easy?" His voice cracked.

"When you're trained as much as I am, as much as I was..." The conversation was going nowhere, so she gave up. "I was an assassin, okay? They hired me to get rid of people who were in the way or something. It's why I quit." Don couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked to Mac, but Mac ignored them both and continued to climb. "Why did you join?" She should have known he wouldn't be able to leave it there.

"They killed my family and everyone I knew." The rest of the journey was continued in silence.

When they finally reached the correct floor, Emily met the team, was issued with her badge and gun and changed into a blouse with black trousers. Mac then called them straight into a meeting to discuss their on-going case

"It's definitely the same person. All four bodies fit his M.O." Mac gestured to the board. "Blonde hair and blue eyes," Stella said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Who found the bodies?" Everyone turned to look at Emily. She looked down, suddenly shy.

"Same person each time. Circus guy who goes out and walks his elephant. The bodies were in the same place each time." Don spoke up, taking the attention from her. She mouthed 'thank you' across the table.

"So Nellie likes the smell of dead bodies. Think he did it?" Danny remarked.

"Well you know me," Don answered, a smile pulling at his mouth. "Everyone's a suspect until you guys prove otherwise." There were chuckles and groans across the table. Emily only flashed a smile, before asking again.

"What circus was it?" Everyone looked to Mac, but the sound of angry voices stopped him. His instincts as a Marine kicked in automatically and he motioned for everyone to get down.

"I told you, we go in, grab the file, kill the bitch and get out." The voice that spoke was rough and scratchy. Stella moved closer to Mac upon hearing the final words. Lindsay shivered slightly in trepidation.

"B-but what if..." A new voice spoke, shrill and scared.

"What if what? You heard the boss?" An angry voice snarled.

"Wh-what if sh-she fights back? We all saw it. A-and there's lots of them with guns." The voice seemed closer and more terrified by the second.

The shooting began. Lab techs screamed as glass shattered, then fell to the floor, eyes wide and unblinking, fear still etched on their faces.

"She's not here!"

"Keep looking! We need her DEAD!"

In all the chaos, Emily seemed calm, as if she was expecting it. _She wouldn't…she didn't…did she?_ Don regretted the thoughts but it made sense. Then three people burst into the room, heavily armed and searching to kill.

"GET ON YOUR KNEES!" The heavy-set man was clearly in charge. Everyone obliged. Mac appeared to want to fight, but the man who shouted saw this. He looked at his wedding ring and pointed his gun towards Stella. "Any funny business…she goes first. Understand?" At this, Mac had no choice but to get down. He looked to his team. Danny was shielding Lindsay, too focused on the team than fighting.

"You, give me your gun. Slide it to me. No funny business or you get a bullet in the brain." Emily felt the rough metal that could only belong to a gun press against her head. She slowly took out her gun and slid it towards them. "Good" He turned away. Emily smiled slightly, head bowed.

In an instant, she grabbed his leg and pulled him to the floor. She rolled out and flung her leg round, connecting with Ugly Number Two's face. She then flipped back, onto the table and started to battle Ugly Number Three. She slammed him against the wall, arm at the throat. He forced her back to the wall and drew a knife. Ugly Number One and Two had risen. Ugly Number Three dug the knife deep into her arm and began the move it. She kicked him, hard, and he dropped to the floor. Emily then pulled her knife out, barely grimacing. All three fired bullets.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it was a pretty abrupt ending, but I didn't want a cliff-hanger or anything! I hope you're enjoying it so far, I am not including Angell or Lovato in this (sorry to FA and Flamie lovers!) Have fun reading!**

"You okay?"

Mac didn't notice his wife walk up behind him. "Yeah…just…" Mac didn't finish his sentence.

Stella slid her arms round his neck. "Hey," she whispered, knowing exactly how he felt. He gently leant back.

"We need to run those bullets through IBIS," he murmured. That made Stella start to think.

"What's the new girl's story?" Her head rested on his shoulder and she seemed indifferent, but Mac knew his wife. She was dying of curiosity.

"I think it's best if you ask her" Mac knew how horrible it felt to have people speak about him behind his back.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that." Stella smiled before turning to face Mac. She gently kissed him before going to see how long the clean-up would take.

Mac remembered the conversation he'd just had. He had almost screamed at Emily for answers. He remembered her looking as though she was about to cry and saying she had worked a lot of cases involving a lot of people. He closed his eyes and remembered more, Emily telling him that files of the undercover task she had completed was in her bag, it involved gang members. She then told him about the gang, how the one in charge had worked at a circus with her previously, she couldn't remember his name. He remembered being frustrated at that. She had blamed herself, Mac had not been first to tell her she was wrong in doing that. Mac sighed, regretting his anger. He thought back, pulling every memory of the conversation. She had worked as a forensic scientist before, in England, for less than a year. He had sent her away after hearing that, he told her to process a fabric scrap found at the scene. He sighed and looked around once more at the clean-up.

Emily was standing to the side, her hand on her arm. At first glance she looked fine, but when Mac looked for longer, she looked like a lost child, scared, uncertain and shy. He walked over and saw that she had no bandage on the cut that was still slightly oozing blood.

"You should bandage that before it gets infected," he noted, trying not to sound stern.

She smiled wryly. "Don beat you to it. He just left to get 'Hawkes' whatever that is" Mac didn't smile, but he stopped looking so scary. _At least he's not going to make you dance through lasers to 'sharpen your senses'. _Don came back, leading a dark man with a medical kit towards them.

"Hi, I'm Sheldon Hawkes. I used to be a doctor but now I work at autopsy." He offered her his hand.

"Emily James" She shook with her left hand.

"Don said you had 'a really deep cut that needed attention IMMEDIATELY." Hawkes did his impression of Don. Emily looked at Don and a faint pink crept into his cheeks. Hawkes began spoke to her as he bandaged up her arm. Mac and Don left him to it and walked away.

Mac had noticed the blush on Don's cheeks and, choosing not to embarrass him, said nothing, but smiled.

"What?" Don had noticed him smiling and was determined to prove he wasn't blushing. _Don Flack Junior does NOT blush. He does not giggle, he does not cling and he does NOT blush. _"What?" He had stopped walking and was facing Mac.

"Nothing. Just…Nothing." Mac smiled at the effect it had on Don; he was easily wound up.

"What. You think I like...You…You think that…" Don stuttered in bewilderment.

"No. I can tell you like Emily," Mac chuckled.

"Come on Mac. We've just met." Don said.

"So? I knew I liked Stella from the start. And you didn't deny anything either"

"I DON'T like Emily OK!" Don was beginning to lose his cool. Emily walked past, head bowed; her blonde hair had slid forward, covering her face.

"I think she heard you." Mac lost the grin.

"Thanks Mac. What a help." Don said sarcastically.

"Emily?" Don peered round the lab door in which Emily was analysing a piece of fabric found at the scene. She gave no response, and continued the pretence of analysing the fabric. "Emily, listen, please" Don stood in the doorway.

"Why? So you can tell me how much you hate me?" She didn't even look at him.

"That's not what..." Don tried to explain.

"Oh, really? Because I can't believe it's possible for you to hate me more than I hate myself. I know what I did, Don. But I had no choice and I don't do it anymore." Her voice was still calm. She turned to face him.

"Let me explain. I didn't..."

Once again, she cut him off. "Go to hell, Flack!" He looked hurt. "Just, just go. Please" She had regretted snapping the moment she had.

Don left without a word. _Maybe I should have heard the story first. _She bit her lip and drifted away into her thoughts. The beep of the monitor forced her out of her daydream. She looked at the screen. "No…It can't be…" She said quietly.

"Emily did you find out what the fabric scrap was?" Lindsay asked as they walked towards the elevator. "Um…Yeah it was Lycra, more specifically, Lycra from a costume."

"Circus costume?" Lindsay pushed the button to go to the 34th floor.

"Yeah, that's what I thought so I dug a little deeper." Emily held the door open for Lindsay.

"And? Did you get a name?"

"No, but I know which costume it's from and which circus uses that costume." She handed her an iPad showing a long-sleeved, red leotard with flame patterns.

"What circus is it? Can we get a warrant?" Lindsay began to get excited.

"The circus is called Circus Fantasia, the guy who found the bodies works there and I'll have to check with Mac first."

"Great!" Lindsay smiled.

Lindsay had made Emily practically run to Mac's office to tell him what she found but she needn't have bothered. Mac and Emily ran into each other quite literally whilst on the way to find each other.

"So, what do you think?" Emily asked, after telling Mac her discovery.

"I think we need to talk to the tightrope walker. I'll go and see Flack; he's down at the precinct he just booked some guys for drunk driving. I'll see if he can find out where the circus is" Mac analysed her behaviour; Don had told him about the argument.

"Um, I'll do it." She was avoiding his gaze.

"Are you sure? I don't want to cause problems," Mac said.

"Y-yeah, I was heading that way anyway, I'll tell him. It's fine" Emily headed off towards the precinct.

"Don?" She looked as though she wanted to go over, but was too nervous. "Mac wants you to find out where the Circus Fantasia is." She moved closer. "Don, I'm really sorry, I should've let you explain. I just snapped." She spoke fast.

No, it's ok. I didn't mean it like that. Mac was asking stupid questions and I got annoyed." Don smiled. "What kind of a name is Fantasia anyway?"

"Don't ask me." Emily grinned back. "It's your job to find out"

"Ha-ha." Don laughed dryly.

"So, do you think whoever owned the costume killed all those women?" Emily asked.

"Don't ask me, it's your job to find out." Don smiled.

"Seriously?"

"Okay, okay. All the women had blonde hair and blue eyes and all worked in different circuses. But you know that, from the meeting." His eyes glinted.

Emily raised an eyebrow before speaking. "You think it could be competition elimination? Getting other circuses out the way?"

The car ride to the circus was long and boring, with both Emily and Don bored out of their minds. After seeing her drive outside the lobby earlier, Don had offered to drive.

Don knocked on a trailer door. "Alex Oley, NYPD. Open up." The door opened and a tired looking man looked out of the door.

"I prefer my stage name. The Amazing Alex, Tamer of Beasts," he said sarcastically. "What do you guys want anyway? I have to get ready for the show."

"We need to ask you some questions. You discovered the bodies of four women from different circuses and witnessed them being murdered?" Don persisted.

"Yes, come in. I'll tell you what you want to know."

A few hours later…

"What did he tell you?" Emily had waited in the car.

"Nothing. Only that he heard screams and shots. Then his elephant found the bodies whilst searching for snacks. Why didn't you come in?" Don looked across at Emily.

"Hm? Oh, I just…Didn't really think it would have been for the best" Emily was looking at the circus tent still. "Do you think that it's right?" she asked.

"What circuses? Yeah, I guess. Why?" Emily didn't answer, just shrugged.

"Emily?" The circus performer was in costume and had just seen her in the car. "Is it you?" He ran up to the window. Emily avoided Don's gaze.

"You know this guy?" Could this get any weirder?

"Yeah. I used to work here."

"You have to come in and see everyone! Man, since you left, the tightrope and trapeze act has gone downhill, the new kid is awful!" Alex babbled on, Emily smiled at the memories it brought up.

"I can't. I'm working, but, we will have to speak to the tightrope walker later, okay?"

"Sure! I have to run, the show starts soon." He began to walk away. "Hey! Maybe you could show the newbie how it's done!" Emily smiled as he walked away. Don looked at Emily as she began to start the car. He put his hand on the gear stick, forcing her to look at him.

"Explain!" The laughter was gone; he was deadly serious. Emily stared into his crystal eyes.

"Before I was an assassin, the boss got me to join the circus to enhance my skills."

"Oh"

Emily gave a small smile, a text version of her grin. "Let's go tell Mac what we found." She began to pull out of the field.

"Or what we didn't." Don joked, making Emily roll her eyes.


	4. Take a shower

**A/N Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has stuck with this, I know this chapter took longer to update than most, so this one will be a little longer as an apology. This will be a little DL centred, though they aren't together (yet) Again, special thanks to my beta Mahala.**

Mac had decided against bringing in the tightrope walker, the evidence of fabric at the scene wasn't enough. He had decided to dig deeper. He sent Danny and Lindsay to the scene at the forest, where the last body was found. He wasn't sure about those two, the flirtatious banter hinted a relationship, but Danny insisted it was nothing whenever he or Flack asked about it.

"So Montana," Danny looked up from the ground and grinned at her.

"What?" Lindsay was focused on the bush; she had found something and needed to pull it out carefully. When Danny was silent, she turned around. She asked once more when she saw his wide grin. "What? What?"

"Nothin'. Just…Nothin'." If it was possible, he grinned wider.

"Is this about the meeting?" Lindsay had fully turned round and had seemed to forgotten the evidence in the bush. Danny didn't answer but continued to grin. Huffing, Lindsay ignored him and continued to pull out her evidence. She held it up the sky. It glinted gold in the light, Lindsay thought it was fibre but then realised it was a long, blonde hair. Lindsay smiled at the possibility of a suspect.

"You got something there, Montana?" Danny had seen her smile. _It can't be about the meeting. I know she's not into me. _

"Our ticket to a suspect" Lindsay smiled at him and he was blown away by how beautiful she looked when the dappled sunlight fell through the trees and onto her hair. She noticed him staring and he looked down, blushing slightly. _No… _She thought to herself. But Danny's blush suggested yes. Lindsay smiled to herself and began packing up; she needed to get her evidence to the lab.

Lindsay walked down the corridor, searching, evidence in hand. She walked past Danny and continued her journey with a small, secret smile. "Hey Em"

"Hey Linds, you okay?" Emily turned around from the lab worktop and smiled.

"Yeah just…ever realise how beautiful the city is?" Lindsay smiled back and began to process the hair from the scene. Emily saw her secretive smile and knew she had been working with Danny.

"Hello Chloe Everett" Lindsay grinned at the face scowling up at her on the monitor.

"Do we have a suspect?" Emily moved over.

"One Miss Chloe Everett, tightrope walker and trapeze artist" Lindsay handed her the iPad, which displayed her criminal record. "She did time for drug possession five years ago, but recently she has been a model citizen"

"Except for the murder of four women" Emily said.

"I swear, I don't know anything. I didn't do it" Tears were streaming down Chloe's face, causing black streaks from her mascara. Mac had called Flack to pick her up, and he didn't arrive happy. She had ran all over the forest and through the animal section of the circus, causing Flack to get covered in sticks, leaves and 'who knows what the hell else'. He had smiled when he saw her; she was fat and looked slow. But apparently, she knew the forest inside out and Flack believed she had made him run in circles.

"Then why did you run?" Flack asked, glowering at her. "I told you, I was scared. You know I don't like cops" Chloe sobbed. "Come on Chloe, we found your hair and part of your costume at the scene" "Again, I don't know how they got there. I was with my friend Estasia at the time" Chloe had stopped crying and was now hiccoughing slowly, a tiny smile on her face. "Can she prove that?" Flack clearly didn't believe her, not for a second. Chloe smiled fully and looked up from the table, straight into Flack's eyes "yes" Flack frowned, and then motioned to the guy at the door "Get her out of my face" Flack then stormed out to check her alibi, certain it was false.

Outside the interrogation room, Emily and Mac were thinking over what they had seen.

"You know, Mac, I don't think she did it" Emily pulled her chocolate eyes from the glass window. She looked at him, and he thought how much she had changed from when they first met. Her expression was colder, more confined. She had a way of looking at people that looked as though she was deciding who they were, and almost the best way of taking them down. Her posture was different too, three weeks ago; she would be restricted in movements that possibly made her vulnerable. Now, though, her eyes were kinder, softer and she no longer looked at people like targets. She also stood more openly. Mac didn't smile, but his eyes sparkled a tiny bit.

"Why is that?" Mac's sparkle was gone, he clearly believed she was guilty. "I looked over her old case. The drugs, you see, she openly admitted to that. Almost like she was proud of it. I really don't believe someone could act that well without years of training and experience" Emily had thought it over in her mind, it was clear to Mac that she felt strongly about the case, but the evidence didn't lie. "Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see what the evidence says" Mac concluded. Emily nodded. "I think I have an idea" She hurried off to the lab without giving Mac anything else. As Mac was just starting to wonder if Stella would cook, or if they'd have to pick up something, Don walked over.

"Her alibi checks out Mac. Her friend says that they were up all night talking. You know what that means? She's innocent. Our only suspect, is innocent" Don was speaking quietly, however, Mac could tell by Don's voice he was fuming. "Take a shower, or go clear your head or something, Flack. Emily's looking over the evidence now" Mac said, distracted. Don headed off in the direction of the lab. He wanted Emily to give him a suspect, or at least a lead.

Emily wasn't there when he arrived though, but her evidence lay on the table. Danny and Lindsay were working at the other desk, sniggering. Don then noticed the mixture of rubbish and spaghetti on the floor lying next to a bin. "What did you do?" He looked at them.

"Hey, I swear, it was meant for Adam" Danny put his hands up a surrendering pose. Behind him, shielded from any possible anger, Lindsay laughed. "What was meant for Adam?" Don's voice was mingled with a mixture of curiosity and anger.

"The wastepaper basket. It was full of rubbish and spaghetti. We put it on top of the door so it would fall when Adam came in. We –we thought Emily would still be at the interrogation" Lindsay choked, barely able to breathe from laughter. "Funny" Don replied "So where'd Emily go?" Danny was laughing even harder than Lindsay, so he just pointed towards the locker and shower room.

Don strode to the lockers, angrier than ever and really in need of that shower. He showered and managed to get half-dressed when he had a loud bang, then a stream of curses in what sounded like more than one language. Curious, he looked around and found Emily balanced precariously on the bench, wearing nothing on her top half but a black bra, trying desperately to reach the top of her locker where her shirt was. "Hello…?" Don said cautiously, he wasn't sure how she would react.

"Oh, hi" She replied, still struggling to reach her shirt. "Can I help?" He grinned at her predicament. She got down from the bench and faced him, her eyes scanning his torso. She said nothing but he knew she was studying every inch of his topless half. "What happened?" He couldn't tear his eyes from her face. "Some jerks thought it would be fun to throw it up there" She spoke softly and moved closer. Her eyes focused on the pale white line that crossed his lower body in a zigzag, a permanent reminder of the explosion that nearly took his life. She reached out and traced it with her finger. His skin felt electric beneath her touch. "How?" Her eyes met his, they were full of concern. "Explosion" Don muttered, looking down. He noticed a black tattoo above her left hip bone. Emily followed his gaze to the number that was branded on her skin. "My number. From when…you know" She trailed off. Don knew that number, 8571, it was his badge number. Don looked at the scars that decorated her body, a slash on her shoulder, a burn on her stomach. He moved closer slightly. They were so close now. Emily could feel the heat from his breath on her lips. Her eyes were glued to his. He moved his face down and her phone rang, breaking the connection. She moved back and started to stutter. "I, um, I should p-probably take this" Emily's eyes were on the floor. "Um, yeah, yeah you should probably" Don trailed off. Emily flipped open the phone and began to talk, she walked backwards towards the door. "Yeah, I'm just processing it right now" Don smirked at the lie. "Yeah, I'll be ready in five, yeah, okay, bye" She hurried towards the door, still not wearing a shirt. "Em" Don called her back. "What?" Emily turned back. "You might want a shirt" Don grinned as she realised that she was half naked. "Oh, um, yeah, right, right" She spoke fast. Don reached up to the locker easily and grabbed it for her. "Here you go" "Thanks" Emily was still speaking fast and began to pull it on and walk away at once…

**A/N Hehehe… I love messing with the characters. So, tune in next time for the next update! **


	5. Milo VanShelque

**A/N Hey guys! Happy new chapter day! Hehe. How'd you like the last one, hm? The little 'moment':D This will have some Stella and Mac in it - yippee**

Lindsay was processing the hair in the bush that she was dusting for fingerprints, an idea Emily had come up with. Danny and Lindsay had both apologised continually for their joke. Emily had smiled, not because of their apologies, but because of how good they would be together, and how obvious it was howmuch they fancied each other.

Emily stared at the fabric, her mind on what had just happened. Thousands of thoughts were rolling round her head.

"Hey Em, have you found something?" Danny noticed how intently Emily seemed to be staring at the fabric.

"Huh?" Emily woke from her daydream. "Oh, uh, yeah. This was cut, not torn and I'm just waiting for the prints." Emily smiled. Then she stared off into the distance and thought once more of Don's crystal eyes, a small smile appearing blissfully on her face. She felt a sense of déjà vu as the monitor cheerfully beeped her out of her daydream. She pulled the iPad over, excited at finding herself a suspect. Unsuspecting, Emily looked down at the match. With a loud clatter, the iPad fell from Emily's hands to the ground. Her eyes were wide in shock.

"Emily?" Danny walked over to where Emily was standing, unmoving. Lindsay quickly followed. Emily was breathing slowly and, though Danny and Lindsay could see themselves reflected in her eyes, she wasn't seeing the lab. "Emily?" Danny repeated, a knot of fear twisting in his stomach. Emily breathed something that sounded like 'Milo', before slowly, almost elegantly, she crumpled, her head hitting the floor. The iPad slid across the lab. Danny didn't check, but he was certain that the profile would be of a guy named Milo.

.

When Emily opened her eyes, everything was blurry. She was lying on an autopsy table, _hopefully for the first and only time, _she hazily thought. The blurs slowly became defined; she could make out Don's blue eyes and Hawkes' brown ones. The other shapes all blurred together. Groaning, she pulled herself up, embarrassed and ashamed. It had been a long time since she'd had a flashback and an even longer since she'd fainted. Her hands slipped and she fell back. Don caught her and pulled her into a sitting position. Hawkes handed Emily a wet towel, which Don placed against her forehead.

Mac cleared his throat from the end of the table. "Do you know who Milo VanShelque is?" Stella put an arm on Mac's shoulder, and shook her head slightly when he turned. They muttered quietly under their breath as Emily leant back onto Don's chest. Mac and Stella came to an agreement and Mac asked once more, his voice soft and quiet. "Do you know him from somewhere?" Emily was quiet for a moment, her head still leaning on Don's chest. Keeping her eyes closed, she replied.

"He, uh, he worked at the circus with me," she muttered, a tear leaking from her eyelid. Don brushed it away with his thumb as Mac began to leave. "That's not all." Emily had seen Mac was leaving. Curious, Mac turned back. "He … he was part of the Scorpion Gang." She turned and hid her face in Don's chest. He slid down and slipped his arms around her gently.

"Was that the gang that was here?" Stella spoke up, her voice was incredibly soft. Nodding, Emily pressed her head deeper into Don's chest, wanting nothing more than to be alone.

.

Don had gone home that evening, his head spinning from the day. As he sat at the table and looked through his mail, his mind wandered back to when Emily had fainted. He had closed his eyes and wondered what it would be like if he really was brave, if he could hold her all the time. He thought back further to the locker room; he had been beating himself up about that. "Coward," he muttered. Everyone said he was brave when he told them he was a cop. If he really was brave, he would have kissed her there and then, pushed the phone out of her hands and pulled her close, then kissed her. Then things would be different. But he was a coward; when he needed his courage most, it had evaporated. When he needed to have the 'lion heart' of a cop, he didn't even have that of a mouse. He was scared, scared of being shot down by her. She was dangerous; he knew that, dangerous in a way that she could wrap him round her finger. He wouldn't care if she did. Don sighed and shook his head. "No use wasting time wondering," he told himself, and began to prepare dinner.

.

The next morning, Mac awoke with a slight headache. He turned and saw Stella sleeping next to him, her hair pooled around her face like a crown. He looked around the room. There was an empty wine bottle and two glasses. Mac remembered the night before, surprising his wife with dinner and wine, how happy she'd been, how she'd said the food was delicious. He rolled onto his side and rubbed Stella's cheekbone with his thumb. "Morning Mrs Taylor." Stella smiled and opened her green eyes sleepily. "What time do you have to be at work?" He stroked her cheek. Stella slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

"Not till late," she whispered in his ear before pulling him close and kissing him.

.

Emily walked into the lab with her head down, and her blonde hair hiding her face. She looked through her hair, waiting for the glances, the whispers, the crude remarks she would surely get from the lab techs. Nothing came. She had spent the morning gearing herself up, preparing for people to be laughing, and they were acting as though it hadn't happened. Emily sighed with relief and went to her desk, planning on doing some of the paperwork that had been slowly building up. But when she sat down, laptop open, ready to do whatever she needed to do; her mind crept back to the day in the locker room. She was regretful; if she had had even one ounce of sense, on ounce of courage, she would've leant up and kissed him. She would have, she should have ignored the phone and pulled him close and kissed him. Shaking her head at her wondering, she snapped out of her dreams and started working.

.

Danny was also thinking about opportunities but not, unlike Emily and Don, missed ones. He was waiting for one to come along so he could know, for sure, how Lindsay felt towards him. He was sighing loudly and trying to prepare himself, when Lindsay walked into the lab, looking gorgeous. _As usual. _Danny thought.

"Hey, uh Montana? Lindsay?" Danny hated using her nickname, she hated it. _And why did he sound so drunk?_ He swallowed nervously, and rubbed his sweaty palms on the back of his jeans. "Uh..." he tried but when she smiled at him, he felt weak, and let it drop. "Nothin," he mumbled before turning. He hated himself, wishing he had had just a few more minutes of precious courage. _What was he afraid of?_

Lindsay looked confused, but told herself to drop it. It's not like he was going to ask what I want him to anyway, she told herself.


End file.
